Brontë Country art trail marks Bradford City of Culture year
A new art trail has opened on the moors overlooking the village of Haworth, once home to the famous Brontë sisters, as part of Bradford's UK City of Culture celebrations.The Wild Uplands trail at Penistone Hill Country Park features a series of sculptures which will remain in place for the next five months.The pieces, created by four international artists, were inspired by Bradford's landscape and heritage, including its wool industry and the Cottingley Fairies hoax, organisers said.Jane Earnshaw, executive producer for Bradford 2025, said the trail was "unexpected" and "magical".
"People who are not from Yorkshire think of Bradford as just the big industrial city, but two thirds of our district is farms, moorland and hills - and it is exquisite," Ms Earnshaw said.
British environmental artist Steve Messam used natural materials from the local area to create one of the works.Tower, a 10ft (3m) tall structure overlooking the moors, is built from rocks and covered in the fleeces of 500 sheep from the surrounding area.Mr Messam said: "The country park here is a disused quarry, so it is based on those slabs of stone which are left over."They are the building blocks of the city, and the fleece is literally the fleece that built Bradford. It is about those stories and narratives within the landscape."
Meanwhile, Brazil-born and London-based artist Vanessa da Silva created another of the works, called Muamba Posy, which reflects Penistone Hill's changing eco-system.Ms da Silva explained: "I imagined it 300 million years ago when the climate was tropical and hot, and the plants were gigantic and lush."It is meaningful for me as well, because I do not come from England. I am an immigrant here and the history of Bradford - having different communities that live here alongside each other - it is really meaningful to be part of this."An immersive sound walk called Earth and Sky will accompany the sculptures and aims to provide music to match the atmosphere of the Yorkshire countryside.Composed by Italian musician Caterina Barbieri and Opera North, it uses geolocation to match sounds to where visitors are standing, and will be available to access via a phone app.
The art trail has opened just days after being targeted by vandals, who smashed two marble butterflies, part of an installation of dozens of similar sculptures.The butterflies were the work of Pakistani-born artist Meherunnisa Asad in collaboration with Peshawar-based atelier Studio Lél, known for reviving centuries-old stone-work techniques.They were carved from pink marble sourced from Pakistan, and were inspired by Bradford's stories of migration and movement and the resilience of its natural landscape.Police have appealed for help finding four suspects in connection with the damage.Ms Earnshaw said: "Everything about this project has been a challenge. In some ways it is a crazy challenge even to have considered doing."We are out here on the moors; there is no power; there are no cabins to keep our crew safe and warm while they are installing things. But that is what is magical: putting something unexpected and joyous out here for five months."Wild Uplands is on display at Penistone Hill County Park until 12 October.
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